Chapter 6 - Rediscovery
“So, how’s it going?” Dominic was supposed to be having a business lunch with Stephen, but, of course, all the man wanted to hear about was Makayla. He’d been a right smug bastard since he discovered that Dom had actually contacted a woman from DownDaddies - moreover, that he was using her as a prop to keep women from swarming him. It was the social coup of the century.
Dominic had actually made him sign a contract promising that he would keep mum - though, in Stephen’s opinion that was hardly needed. He might be a bit of a party animal, but he never revealed any of his friend’s secrets.
“I assume you’re not talking about the company.” Dominic eyed him over his second martini of the afternoon.
He was exhausted. If running a company wasn’t enough, for the past month, he had to get used to sharing his home with a woman - something he had never imagined he’d be doing. He supposed that it would be one thing if said woman was a clinging, needy woman who was always on the bell and bat for his attentions, but Dominic found it more trying that she was Makayla Price; the one woman on earth who was determined to avoid him at all costs.
“Not so much. I have to say, you guys don’t look very convincingly loving in public.” Stephen tapped the cover photo of the paper next to them, which pictured Dominic and Makayla leaving an art gallery on the Upper West side. Though poshly dressed enough, Makayla looked as if she was all but fleeing him as he followed her to the car park. He himself looked frustrated, though Dominic supposed that was a mild word for what he was currently feeling.
She didn’t want to talk to him.
Kayla took any and everything as an excuse to get away from him - even in his own house. Mind you, now that her semester had started, she spent a great deal of time on the Columbia Campus, but there was a part of her contract that stipulated that she had to spend evenings in the penthouse. Unfortunately, Dominic hadn’t specified that she needed to spend those evenings with him, so she usually spent hours in the study, citing homework, or sequestered herself in the living room, pouring over books.
Besides greeting him and wishing him goodnight every day, she might have been living completely alone.
It irked the hell out of him.
She’d been shutting him out ever since he discovered that someone had obviously hurt her in the past - and Dominic would be damned if he didn’t get to the bottom of it.
“She’s still not giving up any details?”
Stephen’s question made him frown. “None. She won’t even tell me what she wants for breakfast.”
“Well, isn’t that Sophia’s job?” Dominic all but growled at the younger man’s attempts to be funny. It wasn’t funny when he had a woman living in his house who seemed all but terrified of him. They were supposed to be a loving couple for the cameras, and she could barely stand to be in the same room as him. “No offense, Dominic,” Stephen finally ventured when he’d recovered enough from the older man’s warning glare, “But wouldn’t this just be the part where you pulled the contract on her? I mean,” he took a bite of his swordfish before continuing. “You spent like, what, almost a hundred thousand dollars on her? You could just remind her that she’s here for a reason. She seems like the type that would...I dunno...fulfill her obligations.”
Dominic frowned. It was the first intelligent thing Stephen had uttered since they sat down; mind you, the man had made no real attempts to be serious until this point - it was further confirmation for Dom that he was only playing dumb ninety percent of the time.
He was right. Makayla was certainly the type of woman who would be more than willing to pony up if he reminded her what her obligations were. Certainly, she was living with him, but they’d made an agreement - one that she wasn’t entirely fulfilling. If he baited her with that little tidbit…
Dominic swallowed a groan. He knew very well what would happen - and he’d feel like an absolute ass.
“It’s...the principle of the thing.” He finally countered, his frustration leeching into his voice. “Why is she do goddamned scared of me? I want to know, and I want to do it without forcing her to play house with me.”
It was a true enough answer - if not a complete one. Dom certainly did want to know who or what had hurt Makayla so badly in her past that she responded so violently to a simple touch - but beyond that, only a fucking monster could fail to see the pain in her eyes whenever he brought up something she didn’t want to talk about. Whatever she was hiding was still hurting her, no matter how hard she tried to pretend.
Was it so bad that he wanted to alleviate that pain? To make her feel more at ease? She had already travelled across the country to placate a stranger. The least he could do was ensure that she felt safe around him.
But for that to happen, Kayla was going to have to open up to him - and Dominic wasn’t sure that was in the cards.
At that moment, his phone rang. Dom might have ignored it - he usually did, during his lunch hour - but some small part of him wondered if it might be Makayla.
Of course, it wasn’t - but at the sight of the number scrolling across the screen, his nostrils flared slightly in surprise.
His mother.
“One second, Stephen.” He gestured to the man in front of him before answering the buzzing device in his hand. “Hey Mom.”
“Dominic, how dare you.” He immediately stiffened at her severe tone, wondering what on earth he could have done. He hadn’t even spoken to her for two weeks. “I’m sitting here, looking over pictures of this lovely girl you’ve been seen with and you haven’t said a word to me!”
He breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, it seemed that the tabloids were at least doing their jobs in that respect. There were pictures of him and Makayla emblazoned over the cover of every magazine in the Northeast. The media were wild with speculation about who she was, and he intended to keep it that way for a good while. “Mother, it’s only been a few weeks. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me?” His excuse hardly staved off the older woman - he could hear the frown in her voice. “You finally get serious about someone and you don’t want to bother me? I’m offended that I wasn’t the first person you called!”
“Well, Mom...things are still fairly new between me and Makayla.” Stephen was watching him from across the table with bated breath. “I...know how you feel about me and women, so I was hoping to be more sure about her before I contacted you.”
Elaine West snorted. “Well, I can see why. The poor thing looks terrified of you. What have you done to her?”
Dom glanced down at the picture on the front cover of the paper before him. God, was it that palpable to everyone? That Makayla and he weren’t in the slightest bit connected? “She’s just a bit shy. She’s not used to this particular lifestyle. There’s an...adjustment period.”
“Well, where on earth is she from? Who are her parents? What does she do?” He was suddenly being pelted with questions that he realized he couldn’t answer. Dom knew, in that moment, that if he and Kayla couldn’t even fool the masses, they certainly weren’t going to be able to fool his mother.
Which meant that something had to change.
“Why don’t I let her answer all those questions for you when you come for the holidays?” It was the best answer he could come up with for the moment - and, thankfully, it seemed to placate his mother.
“I got the tickets in the mail the other day, darling. I can’t wait to come see you.” Her tone had softened considerably, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. “And this mysterious young lady of yours.”
When she finally hung up, Dom stared at the phone for a long moment, contemplating what the hell he was supposed to do now. He needed to get Makayla to trust him, or the entire arrangement between them would mean nothing.
“How’s she taking it?” Stephen’s voice jogged him back to the present and Dom exhaled a long breath before raising his hand to order another martini.
“I’ll be more worried about that come December.”
**
Makayla had known that her workload would be substantial as a medical student – and she’d been prepared to whether the difficulties. What she hadn’t been prepared for was to be on top of her schoolwork while she suffered at home.
Or rather, in Dominic’s home.
The young woman was discovering that the biggest challenge she faced in New York was living with a mouthwatering billionaire while trying to keep secrets from him.
Chewing her lower lip in contemplation, she stared at the page of the microbiology book she had been reading for the past ten minutes. Usually, she was more focused, but, at that particular moment, she found herself wondering where Dominic was. Though he usually came home late, he always came home – but that hadn’t been the case the previous night. She had slept alone in the big bed, and woken alone.
It made her wonder if she had done something to piss him off.
Of course, sometimes Makayla wondered if her mere presence wasn’t enough to anger the man. She’d been living with him for over a month, and in that time, she hadn’t exactly done her best to play the part of a loving girlfriend.
On that count, she was more than a little nervous.
Every time he came near her, Kayla remembered the dejected look on his face when he tried to touch her and it seemed like her embarrassment grew threefold. She hadn’t meant to react like that, and it was only natural that he ask questions. The problem was that she was scared to answer them.
And so, she did her best to stay busy – at school and even when she was in the penthouse. Dominic, for his part, didn’t bother to question her again. The few times they went out together were characterized by a sort of awkward acceptance – one that she hardly believed would fool the tabloids. But, what was she supposed to do? It wasn’t as if she could make her body calm down when he came near her. If she could do that, then this entire situation would be a nonissue.
The young woman was about to head to the kitchen to ask Sophia if she knew where her employer was when her phone buzzed. When Makayla saw it was Melody, she picked up immediately.
“Jesus Christ woman, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last week.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Makayla apologized profusely. “I’ve been…tied up.”
“With Mr. Tall, West and Sexy I hope.” Melody came back almost immediately, and Makayla could all but hear the smug grin in her voice. Unfortunately, on that front, she didn’t have any good news for her friend.
“Actually…things aren’t going so well there.” The moment she spoke, Melody was on her with a fevered interrogation, the pitch of her voice making Kayla wince slightly.
“What do you mean they aren’t going well? The last time I spoke to you, you told me everything was peachy! That your classes were fine and West was the perfect gentleman. Your exact words.”
Makayla squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She might have fibbed a bit on that point – but the last thing she wanted was Melody worrying about her. Despite how gung ho the blonde had been about her having a sponsor, she didn’t begin to imagine that Melody wasn’t worried about her safety.
“Well…Mel…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. He tried to touch me and I-”
“What kind of touch are we talking about?” Melody interrupted, her tone skeptical. “Did he touch you-touch you? Because that wasn’t in the contract.”
“Not like that,” Makayla clarified quickly, sliding her biology book aside. She probably wasn’t going to get back to it that evening. “He just…put his hands on my shoulders. The night after we went shopping and I…well, you know how I am.”
For a long beat, Melody didn’t say anything. When she did speak, her tone was slow and careful. “How did he take it?”
Makayla groaned. She didn’t like to remember. “How do you think he took it? Very personally.”
Melody made a soft sound of frustration in her throat. It was, Makayla knew, not because of her, but in empathy with her. “Well, have you tried again since then?”
Kayla sighed, shaking her head as she replied. “I dunno if I can. What if I can’t let him, Mel? You know how long it took with you…I know I’m being stupid, really, I am.”
“There’s nothing stupid about it.” Melody soothed her in a no-nonsense tone. “He doesn’t know how you grew up.” She paused for a second. “Have you…considered telling him?”
Kayla’s eyes immediately flew wide. “Are you crazy? He probably thinks I’m weird enough as it is.”
“Well, babe, I hate to slap the tough love on you, but I can’t imagine you can keep up this charade very long if you’re running away from him all the time. I know it’s tough, Kayla…but maybe for the sake of this arrangement, it would be best if you told him. Just a little bit. I’m not saying you have to spill your guts…just…enough to help him understand. For the both of you.”
Kayla wanted to refuse. She wanted to keep on living in her little bubble of self-comfort and pretend everything was going to be alright – but she knew that was idiotic of her – idiotic and selfish.
“Ugh…” She expelled a long breath before running a hand through her loose curls. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
“That’s my girl.” The idea that Melody was grinning, even three thousand miles away, was enough to elicit a small smile from Kayla as well. “You can do this.”
The blonde’s words echoed in Kayla’s ears long after she had hung up the phone. She tried her best to go back to her homework but found that she couldn’t. Now all she could think about was how she was going to bring herself to tell a man she’d barely known for a month something less than a handful of people knew about. How he would judge her once he knew.
But there was nothing for it. Though Dominic was a patient man, not even he was a saint. He’d all but admitted that when he told her it was hard to sleep next to her.
And God knew she agreed with him on that point. No matter how her body reacted when he touched her, she wanted more. She wanted to span the chasm that separated them so he could move beyond touching just her shoulders…But that wasn’t in the damned agreement. She wasn’t supposed to want him at all.
Goddamn it.
Groaning, Kayla buried her face in her arms upon the desk. She was monumentally fucked up. It was like her head and her heart were in two different places. On top of that, she was pretty sure that Dominic was already pissed at her. Any day now, she expected him to throw the book at her and demand what she’d promised.
She couldn’t let it come to that.
The young woman managed to convince herself to creep from the study ten minutes later. She planned to march right into the kitchen, ask Sophia when Dominic was coming home, and be there to confront him the moment he walked into the door. She would admit to him what was holding her back, and then…
Well, she didn’t know what would happen after that. Quite possibly he would kick her out of his house.
When she strode into the living area, however, the young woman was shocked to see Dominic already sitting there – in the middle of his work day. He was sprawled over the couch sans his suit jacket, his tie hanging loose around his neck as he casually thumbed through messages on his phone.
Jesus, the man could make scrubbing a toilet look sexy. He wasn’t doing anything but lying there, but his long, relaxed form looked so ungodly tempting that Kayla feared she would either run for the hills or jump his goddamned bones.
Luckily – or unluckily, depending how one looked at it – enough for her, Dominic looked up before she could do either of those things, and she found herself pinned in place by his piercing green gaze. At that moment, she was acutely aware of the leggings and pale pink sweater she wore – both purchased by him. She had gotten up too late to do her hair, so it hung loose and riotous about her shoulders, and she wasn’t wearing an iota of makeup. She half-expected him to scold her.
Instead, he merely gave her a slow, searing once over that spoke volumes of what he actually wanted to do with her. Kayla felt her cheeks burning as the heat of arousal sent all her carefully constructed plans out of the window. What she had been planning to say delicately came spilling from her in a deluge – and once she started, she couldn’t stop.
“My parents…they beat me. When I was younger, that is. There was a lot of physical violence and I didn’t get out of the house until I was seventeen so I’m not really used to…um…people touching me. I mean, I had a boyfriend, once…he wasn’t very happy about it either, but I eventually got used to him. And Melody, I don’t mind her. But when it comes to new people, I…I need an adjustment period, and I wasn’t prepared that night when you did it, so that’s what happened. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I didn’t want you to think I was messed up or anything either-”
“Whoa.” Dominic held up a hand for silence, and her mouth immediately snapped shut as she stared down at him nervously. “Calm down, Kayla. Breathe.”
She did as he said, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Dominic sat up straight on the couch, his gaze never leaving hers as he pat the seat next to him in invitation. “Come here.”
She did so as if she were being pulled by invisible strings, making her way to the plush leather couch to sink down beside him. “There.” He murmured, once she was seated, “Now…you don’t like people touching you.”
Slowly, she shook her head as her cheeks burned. When he frowned at her answer, her heart leapt into her throat. He was going to ask her to leave – to demand that she get out. “Why didn’t you tell me this before you came here?”
The young woman drew a shuddering breath. “I…didn’t want it to make or break the deal. And I thought…I mean, I still think…I think I could get used to touching you. Or you touching me. Whatever.”
Dominic expelled a long breath, running a hand through his dark hair. A day or two’s worth of stubble darkened his jaw, giving him a decidedly more rugged appearance; and despite how she felt about being physical with people, Kayla was beset with the overwhelming urge to run her fingers over his jaw and neck to feel the roughness there. “Look, Kayla…we find ourselves with a problem here. I don’t want to tell you that you have to touch me – especially knowing what I know now. But, you have to understand, this isn’t fooling anyone. People can see how much you want to get away from me.” He smirked in bitter amusement. “Which isn’t good for either of us. So I need you to tell me what you want to do. I won’t force anything.”
He wanted her to tell him what to do?
Meaning she could back out and go home right now?
The moment the thought entered her mind, however, Kayla knew it wasn’t an option. She was invested in this. She was attending Columbia, she loved her classes, and she could already see her graduation in her mind’s eye. Was she really going to give that up because she couldn’t let go of a past that seemed to follow her wherever she went?
She had sworn that she would let go of her past. Of her parents and that shitty little house in Trembley that had almost ruined her. Yet, here she was, almost a decade later, still suffering. She couldn’t let her reservations get in the way now.
She wouldn’t.
Drawing her lower lip between her teeth in trepidation, she steeled herself, raising her gaze to meet Dominic’s once more. He was watching her unflinchingly, as if she were the only thing that existed in the entire world. Slowly, Kayla raised her hand watching herself lean towards him until her fingertips were a hairsbreadth from the stubble on his jaw. Before she could lose her gall, she touched him – felt the roughness there carefully as she ran her palm from his neck up to his ear.
A thrill of awareness shot through her and she felt her belly tighten as heat suffused it. It was pricklier than she’d imagined – but not in a bad way. Dominic continued to watch her, unmoving, as she raised her other hand to do the same, feeling the opposite side of his face slowly, as if she were committing it to memory. Finally, she had to say something to break the thick silence between them. “You didn’t shave,” she finally managed, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The corner of his mouth kicked up slightly. “I spent the night in the office – big meeting coming up in a week. Though I probably got more sleep than in my own bed.”
Kayla flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to throw your schedule off.”
“Don’t apologize for being you, Kayla.” He replied, making her eyes widen slightly. “You can’t help it.”
The young woman swallowed thickly, deciding to change the subject. “Aren’t you…I mean…don’t you want to try touching me too?”
Her words were enough to make his eyes dilate in obvious desire. “Do you want me to?”
“Yes.” She answered – with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm – before she could stop herself. Dominic merely chuckled lowly before raising his hands to encircle her wrists with lithe fingers. The moment he touched her, Kayla inhaled sharply. There was no flinching this time – she’d been expecting it – but there was certainly no small amount of bodily reaction. It was as if every nerve ending in her body was suddenly alive and acutely aware of the man seated not two inches from her.
Kayla watched with bated breath as Dominic moved his thumbs to slide over her palms gently, back and forth. It had been years – years – since a man had touched her – and her ex had never touched her like this. Slow and soft - almost tentative. “Is this alright?” The words rumbled up from deep in Dominic’s chest, and Kayla had to swallow the whimper that rose to her lips. He was barely touching her, but the sensation of his thumbs sweeping over her sensitive palms was almost enough to bliss her into a coma.
“Yes…” She breathed, her eyes beginning to slide closed. Within a fraction of a second, however, the young woman realized that, with her eyes closed, she wouldn’t be able to see where Dominic planned to touch her next – and the last thing she needed right now was another freak out when she was doing so well. Her eyes popped open and she watched him, almost hawk-like, as his hands skimmed over her arms – covered by the long sleeves of her sweater, to her shoulders, where they curled in firmly to begin kneading slowly.
Kayla all but purred in pleasure. When she was ready for it, she found she had little to no problem with him touching her there – perhaps it was because she’d already seen it so many times when she lie in bed next to him with her eyes closed. “And this?” She barely registered him asking her again, softly, if she was alright. She was already relaxing into his touch, wondering if she’d ever felt something so glorious.
“Mmm…yes.”
When his hands left her for a moment, she almost found herself protesting, only to inhale sharply when his fingers all but encircled her minute waist. Her gaze snapped to his to find him still watching her carefully, looking for any signs of discomfort. “And here? Here is OK?” She was a little more tentative now, but Kayla would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that him holding her felt good. Slowly, she nodded.
Then, Dominic did something completely unexpected. His hands circled around her to the small of her back before dipping lower – to the curve of her behind. Kayla yelped as he scooped her unceremoniously into his lap, her hands impulsively going to his shoulders to steady herself. Honestly, she expected to panic. To push away from him as her heart worked double time and the trembling began.
But, shockingly, no such thing happened.
Well, her heart did start doing a sharp staccato against her ribs – but that was only because she realized just how close she was to Dominic.
She was in his lap – all but pressed against that divine chest of his, with the scent of him enveloping her and his warmth tantalizing her.
Every part of him was hard – from his thighs to his stomach and beyond – which confirmed her suspicions that it wasn’t just his chest that was mouth-watering. Swallowing thickly, she finally worked up the courage to tear her gaze from the buttons on his shirt and look up at his face. The man was gazing down at her with such intensity that she had to fight the urge to squirm. Somehow, she didn’t think that would be the best idea in her current position. The imposing man arched a dark brow. “Still alright?” When she was this close, she could feel him speaking as well as she could hear him.
And it was very, very nice. “Yes,” she managed, her voice small and breathy. “I’m ok.”
When he brought a hand up to cup her cheek, she jumped slightly – but it was a jump, and not a flinch. She managed to swallow her impulses and allowed him to stroke over her jaw, her brow, and ultimately, her lips. When his thumb slid over the line of her mouth, she found her lips parting slightly, every muscle in her body suddenly taut. “Kayla.” She couldn’t have looked away from him if she wanted to – her gaze was locked on his, body hemmed in by his free arm around her. “Do you want me to kiss you?”
Her heart leapt at the prospect, even as the young woman reminded herself that things weren’t supposed to go this far. Touching was all well and good, but kissing? Kissing wasn’t in the contract. Kissing would surely complicate things unnecessarily, wouldn’t it?
On the other hand, however…maybe it would be good for her. She had acclimated herself to Dominic’s touch much faster than anyone else’s. Maybe if she let him kiss her…
In truth, Kayla didn’t know what excuse she could make for allowing such a thing – all she knew was that she wanted it, and that she wasn’t about to deny him. Not when he was so close, smelled so amazing, and when every fiber of her being was screaming at her to let herself go after a lifetime of being so tightly wound it hurt. “Yes.” The word slipped from her on a whisper, and there was no embarrassment behind it. No trepidation and no fear.
Dominic made a low, indiscernible sound in his throat before he replied. “Stop me if it’s too much.”
For a fraction of a second, Kayla had to wonder what he meant – and then his mouth was on hers – hot and demanding, immediately stealing her breath away. Hot, liquid lust immediately slammed through her as his tongue cleaved its way inside her mouth, stroking at hers hotly, teasing it to life. When he nipped at her lower lip before soothing the slight sting with a hungry suck, she shuddered, her hands moving from his shoulders to lace at the back of his neck in an effort to have him closer.
She had never, ever been kissed like this. Every time her ex had kissed her, it was wet, sloppy and completely unappealing - so much so that Kayla had learned to avoid it at all costs. His affection had been something she had endured rather than anticipated – though he had never known it.
This…this was on an entirely different level. Dominic licked at her mouth – sucked, teased and bit her lips until she was trembling, clinging to him like a port in a storm. Soon enough, her eager tongue was meeting his stroke for stroke, and she was so hot she felt feverish, need blossoming in her belly as a burning ache settled between her thighs. Kayla moaned softly, her hands threading through his hair as he drew her even closer – so she was all but straddling him as he continued his assault.
She felt it then – proof of just how much she affected him – hard and insistent against her belly. Instead of driving her away from him, however, it only made her want him more. Kayla found herself rubbing against Dominic slowly - small, incremental pushes of her hips that sent delicious zings of friction racing through her body. This felt good. More than good…it felt fucking amazing.
Kayla kissed him until her jaw ached with it - until her lungs were tight and she had no choice but to come up for air. When she did, however, Dominic didn’t stop. Quite the contrary.
The young woman cried out in shock as he merely lowered his mouth to her throat, kissing along the line of her neck until he reached her collarbone. When he nibbled at it before his tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat, she gasped, her fingers tangling tightly in his raven waves. “Dominic…” She gasped, squirming atop him as she fought the haze of lust that was rapidly clouding her vision. “Dominic, wait-” But then his hands were underneath her sweater, moving with deliberate indulgence over her stomach, the small of her back, the sensitive lines of her hip bones. When he gripped her waist tightly to pull her hard against him, she inhaled sharply when his arousal jutted sharply against her. “Dominic…” This time, her moan was almost delirious as he nibbled at her earlobe. This was as terrifying as it was stimulating. Kayla had never wanted something so badly the pain was physical, but the ache between her legs was rapidly rising to a fever pitch. She couldn’t handle this – even if she wanted to…if everything she was needed him to take her to bed and assuage the want that threatened to consume her…”Dominic, please stop!” She finally cried, panting as she pressed vainly at his chest.
The man immediately withdrew as if burned, pushing her off of him and back onto the couch as he cursed lowly. Kayla flinched reflexively against the leather headrest as he groaned, taking a deep breath. It took him a moment to compose himself, but when he finally did, he looked up at her, his expression apologetic. “Sorry.” His tone was still a dark, low growl that spoke of the want he repressed. “You ok?”
He wasn’t angry with her – thank God. “I’m…alright.” She finally replied, her voice slightly unsteady. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Don’t.” He cut her off with a curt command that silenced her immediately. “Don’t you dare fucking apologize. It was me. I got carried away. I…You let me touch you and I took advantage. That wasn’t my intention.”
For a moment, silence hung between them, and Kayla found herself twisting her fingers anxiously together. Part of her wanted to tell him that she hadn’t minded so much – that she’d just gotten a little overwhelmed and maybe if she just had a bit more practice… “I…I liked it, Dominic.”
His gaze shot to hers skeptically and she immediately continued, hell-bent on reassuring him. “I mean…kissing is fine. I don’t mind it…it’s probably better if people see us kissing, right? I just got a little overwhelmed when you started kissing…other parts of me. I didn’t…I mean...Maybe it’s a little naïve of me, but I didn’t know kissing could be like that.”
Dominic merely continued to stare at her a moment more before finally speaking. “Kayla, are you a virgin?”
The dark-skinned girl immediately blushed to the very tips of her toes, embarrassment suffusing her. Did she sound like that much of a greenhorn? “For your information,” she retorted, her tone defensive, “I’ve had sex. I’ve had lots of sex.”
To her frustration, her words only seemed to amuse him. The corner of the man’s mouth rose in a knowing smirk. “Right. Tons. Which explains all that squirming and whimpering when I’ve barely touched you.”
In reply, Kayla chucked the first thing she could grab at him, which happened to be a cushion from the couch. Dominic caught it one handed, his smile only widening. “You’re just pissed because I don’t want to have sex with you.”
“Oh, Kayla…You’re fucking adorable.”
She leapt to her feet, glaring daggers at him as both arousal and ire swirled dangerously in her belly. “You know what, forget it. I don’t want to kiss you. I don’t even want to touch you ever again. I don’t give a rat’s ass what the tabloids think, I’m never so much as coming within three feet of you for the rest of my-” Before she could finish her declaration, Dominic’s hand shot out to encircle her wrist, dragging her back into his personal space a moment before his mouth covered hers once more. This time was far less invasive – instead of sliding his tongue against hers, he merely tugged at her lower lip with his teeth until she shuddered, all resistance leaving her. Within a minute, she was sagging in his arms, clinging to him as he stroked the small of her back absently, druggingly, up and down. By the time he was through, Kayla had forgotten what she was mad at him about. She had forgotten to yell and insult him – and she might have even forgotten her own name.
“Alright,” Dominic murmured against her mouth with a low chuckle. “Never again. Ever.” He nipped at her lower lip and the young woman whimpered softly, knowing she’d lost. “Now, don’t you have work you need to be doing?”
She hated him. Hated him.
But she wanted him even more.
**
If sleeping next to Kayla had been a trial before, after kissing her, it was close to impossible. Dominic remembered that he hadn’t meant to kiss her - it had just seemed the natural progression of things after she allowed him to touch her like he did.
Of course, there had been nothing especially sensual about what he’d done. Massaging her shoulders, holding her close - it was child’s play, to say the very least, compared to some of the raunchier things he’d done. But with her, it felt almost as intimate as making her orgasm.
Up late one night in his study, Dominic pondered over what the young woman had told him.
Her parents beat her.
He supposed that wasn’t the most shocking reason why she might have flinched away from his touch, but it was certainly distressing. He didn’t like to think of a younger, more fragile Kayla suspect to the whims of parents who put too much pressure on her.
If the way she told him was any indication, there was more to the story. After almost a month of silence, everything had spilled from her at light speed, as if the very words were dirty on her tongue and she couldn’t stand to say them; and the moment she was finished, she clammed up again.
That, he supposed he didn’t mind so much -especially if they had now overcome a barrier that might have interfered in the contract both of them signed. Slowly but surely, Kayla was opening up to his touches. She didn’t shy away from him when he entered rooms, and when he came to bed, she didn’t scoot to the edge as if the very thought of being near him intimidated her.
Her newfound comfort with him was half-relief, half inevitable torture. When she had struggled to get away from him, he didn’t have to worry about being tempted every time he walked into a room. He didn’t have to steady himself before he ventured into the kitchen every morning, and force himself not to stare at the woman sitting next to him in her silk nighties. He almost regretted buying them, as even the sight of her bare shoulders was enough to tantalize him into a very obvious state of arousal.
Dominic had to wonder what the hell was wrong with him. He didn’t think he’d ever been so aware of a woman who wasn’t trying to seduce him. Even Kayla’s careful, measured smiles were enough to put his body on high alert, so he was hiding proof of what, exactly, she did to him.
Even now, he hesitated to go to bed, wondering if she would be asleep by the time he was ready to join her. It was better that way. Then, she wouldn’t notice his raging hard-on as he crept into the room.
He was sneaking around his own house like a goddamned thief trying not to be caught, and it was slightly ridiculous. When he had seen that Kayla didn’t want sex, he’d sworn to himself to respect her wishes - he just hadn’t suspected that it would be nearly this difficult.
Frowning deeply, Dominic scrolled through his e-mails, only half reading them. He had a business trip to Paris that he was supposed to be taking in two weeks time and he was toying with the idea of bringing Kayla with him. It was a masochistic move if ever there was one, but, somehow, the idea of her being with him lessened the measure of stress he anticipated.
He had to be losing his goddamned mind.
An hour later, when he’d finally made some headway on his work, he left the study to find her huddled in the living room. Instead of sitting on the couch, she was closer to the fire that Brett always kept stoked and waiting, wrapped in a blanket as she poured over one of her schoolbooks. For a moment, he just stood in the mouth of the hallway, watching her read silently. Every so often, she pushed her mass of curly hair up and out of her face to take a few notes on the pad next to her.
After about five minutes, she looked up in surprised pleasure when Brett offered her a hot chocolate topped with a mountain of whipped cream. Dominic glanced towards the kitchen to find Sophia gazing fondly at the young woman. In only two short months, his two person staff had gone from what he was certain was private, judging speculation to affection for Kayla. Unlike almost every woman he’d brought home, the young woman didn’t attempt to treat Sophia and Brett like servants. Dominic himself never treated them that way - they were his closest and most trusted companions, those he entrusted with his household and his business, and they had never let him down.
He watched Kayla thank Brett with a smile before offering him the cup first, beaming. The middle-aged man seemed taken aback, before reluctantly taking the cup to take a small sip. At his blissful expression, Kayla laughed, and Dominic felt something in his belly twist oddly.
This was new to him - having a woman live in his household. Sharing his space and his life with someone was something he had never imagined would happen. Even when he brought Kayla to the city, it was under the assumption that they would only interact as much as they needed to in order to convince the world that they were enamored of one another.
Somehow, that conception of things had already been blown out of the water. If the mere act of kissing her was enough to set his body on edge, Dominic could only imagine what would happen if they went further…
“Would you like a cup of chocolate as well, sir?” Snapping from his reverie, Dom realized he’d been discovered as he found both Brett and Kayla looking up at him. While his butler was eying him with a smile far too knowing for his own good, Kayla looked almost bashful, clutching at her chocolate as she stared upward, her cheeks slightly pink.
The young woman cleared her throat before lifting her chin in greeting. “Are you done with your work? Do you...want to come sit by the fire?”
Dominic found himself smiling at her blatant invitation. She was already comfortable here - so comfortable that she considered it home. He thought the fact might offend him when, in reality, it pleased him more than he might like to admit.
After almost five weeks of being uptight in his space, Makayla was finally beginning to relax.
“That would be nice, thank you, Miss Price. And some chocolate would be nice, thank you, Brett.”
His teasing was enough to make her frown slightly, even as he settled down next to her before the warmth of the crackling flames. “Do you have to be so cruel to me all the time?”
A smile still playing about his lips, Dominic settled himself into a lying position, gazing up at her perturbed expression amusedly. “Who’s being cruel? I quite like being invited to enjoy my own house.”
Kayla’s cheeks reddened, and she chose to take a sip of her chocolate rather than answer him. “How’s the chocolate?” He inquired lazily.
Kayla’s eyes slid shut in bliss in response. “Sophia is an angel. I’ve never tasted something so amazing in my life.”
“She and Brett are my best assets - they keep the company running; but you can’t tell anyone that. You’re sworn to secrecy.”
“Right.” Kayla’s lips quirked slightly. “You can count on me.”
Dominic nudged the edge of her school book with his toe. “How’s your work coming? You enjoying your classes?”
At the prospect of talking about her MD, Kayla beamed. “It’s amazing. My professors are some of the best in the States at what they do. I could listen to them all day.”
Dom’s eyes drifted closed as he listened to her talk. “You like to learn. That’s a pretty rare trait these days.”
“Well, I always promised myself that I would be something...someone worthwhile,” Kayla returned softly, just over the crackling of the fire. “After...well, you know...I told myself that I could do anything I put my mind to...and I happen to like putting my mind to good use.”
Dominic chuckled softly. “You are a wonder, Makayla.”
He could hear the confusion in her voice when she answered. “What’s so wondrous about me? I grew up in a shit town where the only thing special about me was the scholarships I got and how far I had to walk to get home. I’m nothing special, Dominic. I’m just pretty damn determined.”
His eyes snapped open to find her staring down at him, her expression intense. The sentiment was, of course, ruined, by the line of whipped cream on her upper lip - and also the complete nonsensical nature of her statement. She wasn’t anything special, was she? She was only one of the only women he’d ever met that wasn’t hell bent on seducing him or after his money like there was no tomorrow. She had a goal in life - a very precise goal, that she concentrated on with all her heart - even giving up her freedom and independence to achieve it. She had the curious talent of being able to seduce him with a single, innocent, wide-eyed look - certainly, this was just as annoying as it was curious, but that only made it more interesting.
Makayla Price was, without a doubt, one of the most wondrous women he’d ever met - but hell would freeze over before he let her know that.
Sitting up, Dominic looked over her, from the top of her curly head to the tips of her bare toes, painted a bright scarlet. Instead of answering her, he posed another question. “I have to go to Paris in a few weeks. Would you like to come?”
Makayla’s mouth dropped as she stared at him in shock. Surely this couldn’t come as that much of a surprise to her. When she signed the contract, she knew she would be travelling with him. It was part of making their relationship more believable. “Paris?”
Dominic chuckled lowly. “Yes, Paris. As in the capital of France.”
Makayla scowled, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. “I know where it is.”
Dominic caught her by the wrist before she could pull away, tugging her closer to him. “Of course you do. The question is: Are you coming?”
She was so close now that he could smell her - a light scent of flowers and honey with whatever oil she used on her hair. It was absolutely heavenly.
“I don’t know.” She finally whispered softly, her eyes searching his. “I have class. I shouldn’t miss it.”
“I’ll have a note written for you.” He replied, reaching up - slowly, so she could see his every move - to cup her jaw, stroking his thumb over her cheek gently.
For someone so skittish about being touched, it was remarkable how Kayla reacted to him. As long as she knew he was going to touch her, it was almost as if she was starved for the contact. Her eyes slid closed and her lips parted slightly as she leaned into him...it was enough to have him fighting the urge to tackle her to the carpet and having his way with her. “You can ask your professors to give you the work in advance. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it while I’m in meetings.”
“Mmmm…” The low sound of pleasure rippled from her and Dominic swallowed the growl that rose in his throat.
“Kayla?” He inquired lowly, moving his hand around to the base of her neck to begin massaging slowly. “Is that a yes?”
“Mmm…” She repeated, making him smile in amusement. It was so invigorating, to touch a woman who didn’t feign enlightenment every time he came near her. Makayla genuinely appreciated physical contact, as if every time they came together, it was new to her.
It only increased his suspicions that she was actually a virgin, but he had learned not to broach that subject unless he wanted something thrown at him. Besides, that was none of his business. He wouldn’t be sleeping with her in that respect, so it was none of his business who she may or may not have been with before.
Dominic couldn’t deny, however, that the thought of Kayla with another man was enough to make him bristle with discomfort. Perhaps that was another reason why he chose to believe she was untouched - no pun intended.
“Your chocolate, sir.”
At the sound of Brett’s return, the young woman jumped, whirling in surprise to see the middle-aged man standing there with a small smile. She attempted to pull away from Dominic, only to have him wrap an arm around her waist to pull her back flush against his chest. “If you can’t do it in front of Brett,” he murmured teasingly into her ear, “How are you going to do it for the cameras?”
It was enough bait to make her go limp in his arms before she glared up at him in warning. Dom, however, was too busy sipping at his chocolate to fear she might throw her book at his head. She had a feeling that, for all her bluster, she enjoyed his teasing quite a bit.
He knew he certainly did.